Barry Joseph Clairmont was a Pittsfield, Massachusetts, accountant and civic figure who served two terms as an at-large city councilor and spent decades as a behind-the-scenes force in local campaigns. Born in Pittsfield on 31 March 1963, the son of Joseph N. Clairmont and Gladys A. Archambault Clairmont, he graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1981 and earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Bryant College in 1985.
He began his career as a certified public accountant in 1987 with Riley, Haddad and Lombardi. In 1995 he became a partner in Riley, Haddad, Lombardi and Clairmont, where he worked for more than twenty-five years before leaving to open his own firm. Colleagues and clients remembered him for careful budget work and long relationships built on trust.
Clairmont entered elective office when Pittsfield voters chose him as an at-large councilor in 2011. He served from 2012 to 2015 and declined a third term so he could focus on his accounting practice. On the council he often spoke on fiscal questions and was the first member to use a charter objection under the city's then-new charter rules. Away from the chamber he was a campaign treasurer and data analyst for Mayor James M. Ruberto and later spent eight years in the same roles for Mayor Linda M. Tyer, whom he married on 22 July 2018. He also served as treasurer of the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Committee from 2004 to 2020. Friends said he could read election returns and budgets with unusual skill and that he preferred talking through disagreements rather than walking away from them.
Outside politics he was an outdoorsman, hunter, skier and traveler. He volunteered on the Ski Patrol at Bousquet Mountain from 1980 to 2004 and later skied with Linda at resorts including Breckenridge, Aspen, Vail, Snowmass and Whistler. The couple traveled widely, including trips along the Danube and to Paris, Italy, Sedona, Napa Valley and Antarctica. With his son Austin he followed the Boston Red Sox from Fenway Park onward and shared time at the shooting range. He was also known for a serious interest in wine and for sharing that collection with family and friends.
Clairmont died at home in Pittsfield on Sunday, 27 September 2026, aged 63, in the care of his wife. Linda Clairmont said the cause was neuroendocrine carcinoma. Calling hours were held on 5 October 2026 at Dery Funeral Home in Pittsfield. He is survived by Linda; his son Austin Clairmont; his former wife Cheryl Clairmont; and his siblings Carol Weissbrod, Diane Clairmont and Brian Clairmont. City leaders including Mayor Peter Marchetti and former council colleague Jonathan Lothrop remembered him as a true public servant whose numbers sense and willingness to disagree without being disagreeable changed how politics worked in Pittsfield.
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